The Voice of East Bay Living

The impact of El Nino in my neighborhood. Please make sure to cut your trees and protect our homes. 

You can paint your front door just about any color you want as long as it goes with the rest of the house. We have been seeing some very bold colors in recent sold homes. Enclosed is a list of some of the more bold examples : Neon green with grey background Lemonade with granite Boulder background  Coco Pelley teal with storybook gray Fiery red orange- with wood siding  Daffodil with sedate gray Peony  with Chelsea grey Turquoise with white or grey background Remember that a neutral supporting backdrop will really show off the wow front door color. If you are hesitant on taking the plunge with a bold color, you can b uy a small can of paint first and paint a large sheet of paper to see how it will look first.

Hoarding is the persistent difficulty of parting with possessions regardless of their actual value. Commonly hoarded items maybe newspapers, magazines, papers, plastic bags, household supplies, food and clothing. People save things because they believe that they may have some value in the future.  We are all guilty of being too  sentimental about our possessions but a s we approach the new year,  it is  the right time to attack our clutter.  A simple rule that I like to follow is  See-Simplify-Select . You will feel so liberated once you establish some order in your environment.

Following steps with Albany, the Berkeley  sewer lateral  ordinance is making a good change for buyers and sellers. Previously if the sewer was not in compliance  at close of escrow, the buyer or seller had to leave a bond for $4,500 with EBMUD, as a guarantee that the work would get done withing 6 months. The new ordinance is waiving the $4,500 deposit in favor of a signed contract with a reputable sewer company to do the work after the close of escrow (within the six month time frame).  It is expected that Piedmont and Berkeley will follow in the steps of Berkeley's new decision.  Also the mandatory RECO ( Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance ) may soon become voluntary instead of required at close of escrow. The city may offer homeowners rebates and incentives to participate in energy efficient upgrades. Visit GlassSabine.com

1. Prices will continue to rise. The most recent home price expectation survey shows that home values in the next five years will rise 30.8% ( most optimistic ) and 9.4% (most pessimistic). 2. Mortgage rate interest rates are increasing. 3. Either way you are paying a mortgage. If you are renting you are paying the owner's mortgage. If you own your home you're paying your own mortgage AND getting tax benefits. 4. Now is the time to make a move. Visit GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com 

There is a new regulation that has just been issued by the state of California, effective January 1st, 2014. For all single family homes undergoing alteration of improvements, all plumbing fixtures must be replaced with water conserving fixtures in order to obtain final permit approval. This does not apply to properties undergoing repairs or maintenance including sewer lateral replacement, retaining walls, fences window replacement and other categories (or homes built after 1994).